As we celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — one of the most important moments in world history — a common refrain keeps repeating in my mind: We made it.

In the eyes of the oppressed, America is the beacon of freedom. The Statue of Liberty still burns brightly. We remain that “shining city on a hill.” That’s not to say we’re perfect. We aren’t. We still have deep divisions and problems to solve – but that’s been the case for 250 years.

If we look to our history books about the creation of our nation and the divisions that existed in 1776, the most striking to me is the interplay between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and their views on how to move our nation forward after breaking away from England.

The uniting force behind the Declaration of Independence was that the majority of those in America didn’t want to be governed by a king, and they wanted to be free to speak their mind and worship God on their terms.

The question soon became that if we’re not going to be governed by a king, how exactly will we be governed? The differences between Adams— who wanted a strong central government and central banking system— and Jefferson— an economic populist who believed in a smaller, weaker central government— began to unfold.

The rivalry between the two was bitter. For a long time, they viewed each other as a great threat to the future of America because of their differences in opinion on how to govern the country. Jefferson believed that Adams was going to create another monarchy. And Adams believed Jefferson was going to allow anarchy to be the governing model.

Strong central government vs. decentralized economic populism: who won 250 years later? I would argue both did in their own way.

This difference of opinion still exists, but in many ways, President Trump has reconciled the differences. He is certainly a populist. That was one of his great appeals in his campaigns for president and his governing philosophy.

However, it is undeniable that President Trump believes in a strong centralized government, particularly on the military side, and in trying to create new policies like the SAVE America Act where the federal government would rein in electoral misconduct with federal, not state, laws.

What follows President Trump in the Republican Party is yet to be determined. There is also a fight for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party before our very eyes.

Democratic socialism is the new rage for the Left. Long term Democrat incumbents are falling to devout socialist candidates. On the Republican side, there is a contest on the foreign policy front between an isolationist-lite view and the Reagan view.

But as we choose our path, I’m reminded of something Ronald Reagan once said that was very profound and has stuck with me to this day. He said America is one generation away from losing our freedom.

If that’s true, my response would be: Don’t be that generation. Whether you’re young, old or somewhere in the middle, on the 250^th anniversary of the founding of America, let us all re-dedicate ourselves to not being the generation that loses our freedom.

Instead, let us commit to being the generation that moves America forward.

If you’re looking for a generation to emulate, I would urge you to look to the Greatest Generation— Americans who survived the Great Depression and won World War II. They set in motion the post-WWII dominance of our country.

I can assure you after having spent a great deal of time with our military, the current young Americans that I have met won’t let us lose our freedom on their watch.

The fussing and fighting that we’ve experienced in 250 years will never end as long as people are free. I really don’t know what the Founding Fathers would think. Like all of us, they had their flaws. But I know what the rest of the world thinks about America. The bad guys fear us and people seeking to be free look up to us. Two hundred and fifty years later, we must be doing something right.

Happy birthday America. When it comes to our nation, the best days lie ahead.